Nature is a strong and continuous source of inspiration for our door handles and cabinet pulls so I wanted to complete this series of posts with a few pictures that illustrate this as well as providing information on how our yellow and maroon color patinas are made.
The dragonfly cabinet pull is an example of a hot chemical patina created with Sculpt Nouveau’s red and yellow dye oxide that are mixed together to create a maroon color.
To create the yellow amber tones of the butterfly we use a yellow and white dye oxide which we apply to the heated butterfly and once the desired color has been reached and after the pull has cooled down we apply small black wing markings with a fine paint brush and a cold patina M20 product by Birchwood Technologies.
The process for all of our hot patina finishes is the same;
Buff the bronze pull by hand or by using a buffing wheel buffing wheel and buffing disks, progressing as needed, from medium grit to fine grit disks. The disks we use are made by Standard Abrasives and made from a tough resin reinforced nylon fiber with aluminum oxide which acts as an abrasive element. Since the nylon web is un-woven it is more flexible and so will follow the contours of the bronze.
To remove fiber particles, dust or other surface impurities we clean the piece with an air pressure hose.
Blend the liquid oxides in a non-reactive container to achieve the desired color.
Heat the pull to about 200° and apply the dye oxide blend to the areas you want to color with a very fine paint brush.
After the casting has cooled re-buff any areas that need to be re-worked or where you want to expose the golden color of the raw bronze.
Seal with a clear wax or use tinted waxes to create to add a different hue.
Sources:
www.birchwoodtechnologies.com
www.birchwoodtechnologies.com